Directed by Gavin O’Connor, “The Accountant” (2016) is an action thriller that follows a public accountant who uses his expertise to help criminal organizations sanitize their fraudulent financial activities. It shows the Treasury Department trying to uncover his identity as he works on his latest job. Ben Affleck stars in the lead role of the titular character, who goes by the alias – Christian Wolff. Besides him, the film also stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow, and Jean Smart. Bill Dubuque, known for his work on Netflix’s “Ozark,” has written the film’s screenplay.
Spoilers Ahead
The Accountant (2016) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Gavin O’Connor’s “The Accountant,” starring Ben Affleck in the lead role, follows a math scholar on the autism spectrum who uses his knowledge to help illegal businesses launder their money through illegal activities.
What is Ben Affleck starrer ‘The Accountant’ about?
“The Accountant” follows a man who works under the alias Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), who is on the autism spectrum. As a kid, he went through some developmental issues. His parents learn about Harbor Neuroscience, a treatment center that specializes in helping kids like him. While his mother wanted to send him there, his father was against it. Soon after, the mother abandoned the family, and the father taught Christian (Seth Lee) and his brother, Braxton (Jake Presley), martial arts lessons so that they could defend themselves against all odds. He also trained Christian to use a nursery rhyme to calm his anger.
As an adult, Christian began his career as an accountant and started helping criminal and terrorist organizations sanitize their fraudulent financial records. He uses a fake accounting firm office in Illinois that acts as a front and utilizes some placeholder businesses to launder the money. He receives calls from an unnamed woman, who shares details of his every job and controls his business. One day, he receives an offer from Living Robotics CEO Lamar Blackburn (Jon Lithgow). Lamar’s sister, Rita (Jean Smart) appoints Christian to inspect the company’s books after their in-house accountant Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick) finds traces of missing money.
Living Robotics
The Living Robotics firm hires Christian to investigate the irregularities with their financial books and assigns Dana to assist him. Christian has trouble socializing, which creates an awkward working relationship between them. Regardless, he reviews over 15 years of the company’s financial records in a single night. He discovers that $61 million has been embezzled but doesn’t know the person behind this mishap. So, he informs Rita the same. That night, hitman Brax (Jon Bernthal) attacks the firm’s CFO, Ed Chilton (Andy Umberger), and kills him with an insulin overdose. The next morning, Lamar pays off the balance of Christian’s contract and tells him to leave even if his job isn’t technically finished.
Later, two hitmen, hired to kill Christian, arrive at his neighbor’s farmhouse. Christian senses the danger and manages to beat both the contact killers. Then, he learns that Dana is supposed to be their next target. So, he rushes to Dana’s house and saves her from a deadly attack. He brings her to his Airstream RV inside a secure storage unit. There, she notices armory and expensive paintings, including what looks like an original Jackson Pollock painting. He reveals that one of his clients is up to get him. That’s when she realizes the truth about Christian’s double life. He decides to hide her in a hotel for her safety.
Treasury Department’s Search
Ray King (J. K. Simmons), the Director of the Treasury Department, asks analyst Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to meet him in his office. He knows she hid her criminal record in her employment application to get her current job. So, before he retires in a couple of months, he wants her to find the real identity of The Accountant who un-cooks the financial books of criminals. In exchange, King agrees not to disclose Medina’s criminal history, which can get her a prison sentence. She sees no other option but to accept the job. Based on the provided evidence, she begins her investigation.
With her team, Medina discovers video footage that shows Christian’s impeccable combat skills when he killed some members of a crime family. Later, they decode the voice recording to hear an old nursery rhyme that the killer recited. She goes through the data on the Gambino crime family associates. Her colleague looks up for a voice match to the recording and concludes the killer is likely a trauma victim or a person with neurodevelopmental disorders. Then, she looks through the names associated with The Accountant to realize they all are mathematicians. With that information, she locates Christian’s accounting office and how he uses other businesses to launder cash.
The Accountant (2016) Movie Ending Explained:
Medina shares her research into The Accountant’s identity with director King. Together, they try to understand why Christian went through all the trouble if he returned the money to the criminal businesses. Anyhow, they take an FBI team to check his house. There, King notices Christian’s bent thermos. It takes him back to his memories and makes him reveal his association with Christian. In the past, he arrived at a crime scene where Christian killed a bunch. Still, Christian didn’t kill King. Later, King used a money laundering prisoner as his informant, who got killed soon after his release.
Just when King was about to leave his job, he received a call from Christian’s associate. After that, she kept providing him with details about other crimes. In the past, Christian was imprisoned but managed to escape. There, he stays in touch with King’s informant, who is also a money launderer. King believes that Christian acts according to his own moral code. Since King is nearing retirement, he wants Medina to take over his responsibility as Christian’s point of contact. Moments later, the telephone in Christian’s house rings, and Medina picks it up. Christian’s associate informs her of details about Living Robotics.
Does Christian get imprisoned for his crimes?
During his conversation with Dana, Christian wonders why Rita hired him if she knew he would figure out the details about the discrepancies. So, he goes to Rita’s house to find her dead. He suspects Lamar is behind it. Lamar hires Brax’s team for security. Christian shows up outside Lamar’s house and infiltrates it. After fighting other hitmen, he comes face-to-face with Braxton, his brother. They get into a fight but eventually retreat. As they discuss their broken relationship, Lamar shows up and tries to justify the actions behind his project, which is standing for the greater good. Moments later, Christian shoots Lamar in the head.
Later, during a press conference, the Chicago Police Department shares details about the investigation into Living Robotics. Medina takes over the responsibility from King as an agent and Christian’s contact. Christian gifts Dana a framed copy of a famous painting. Underneath, she finds the Jackson Pollock painting she saw in Christian’s RV. In the end, Christian drives away with his airstream in tow. In New Hampshire, a couple arrives to check the Harbor Neuroscience clinic for their son. They meet the clinic director’s daughter, Justine (Alison Wright), who has non-verbal autism. There, we learn that Justine is Christian’s associate, who communicates with others through a computer, handles Christian’s businesses, and speaks with King and Medina over the phone.
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